Léna and Dan are much more than a couple in life: together, they have managed to combine a passion for equestrianism with professional collaboration. He, a professional rider, and she, an influencer and communications expert, create a complementary duo on the showgrounds and in their daily lives. How do they manage to balance their relationship with their career in the demanding world of equestrian sport?

Find out how this couple turns challenges into opportunities, and their advice for those who want to combine love and professional ambitions.

1 Can you tell us about the first time you met and how your romantic relationship evolved into a successful professional/sports partnership?

We're both very passionate, very much in love with horses. We complement each other quite well. As everyone says, we're a bit tick and tock. He's water and I'm fire.

And when it comes to sport, we have the same values and the same desires. We manage to mix personal, professional and sport. So it's a real pleasure."

2. 3 words to describe your relationship?

Léna I'd say love, passion and sport."

3 - Dan, how has Léna's communications expertise changed your approach to developing your image and partnerships?

4 - Léna, what have you learned from Dan about managing competitions and training horses?

Everything I see with Dan is different: the training, the management of the horses, the beautiful competitions. It's this side that I've discovered and that I love, especially with him. He's really an example for me in the professional equestrian world."

5 - Dan, how have you seen Léna evolve thanks to your training advice and the opportunities you've given her in competition/riding in general?

"I've really seen Léna evolve in a number of ways, particularly on the psychological side. Now she takes much more pleasure in riding. Then, it's true that in four months, she's gone from jumping 90 cm to jumping 1.10 metres without a fault, classified. From pony to horse, from club to amateur, that's already a big step forward. Gracieuse was a superb opportunity for her. I've entrusted her with my mare, and the pairing works very well.

After that, she's learning a lot technically, and very quickly. With all the daily advice, going to competitions and seeing professional riders all the time, it helps a lot. She's really progressed thanks to that."

6 What challenges have you faced as a couple in both your personal and professional lives, and how have you tackled them together?

Léna Léna: "The biggest challenge we had to face at the beginning was time, managing the character and the horses. Especially as my pony was at the opposite end of the spectrum to where Dan is. It was a real challenge because he was with his horses all the time. Of course he found time for me, but his priority was the horses, which I quickly realized.

Now we' re able to find compromises. After that, we're both very passionate, so it's easier too. Dan, instead of finishing at 10:00 pm, he would try to finish at 8:00 pm so as to have a bit of time for me. We go to little restaurants, but we try to keep our non-horse activities going at least once a week. And that's what makes our relationship work today."

7 How has your relationship influenced your approach to equestrian sport and your joint projects?

These are all joint projects in the horse world. Just like in 10 years' time, we'll have a structure and horses for sale. Now we're taking our time, we're still young."

8 Can you share a particularly memorable moment or important achievement you've experienced together in the course of your work and your passion for this sport?

Dan One of our biggest successes was when we came third in the French championship with Flirt. And Léna was with me, of course. It's the culmination of a lot of hard work, because I hadn't had it long either.

And afterwards, if I can recount another great success story, it was somethingquite moving: Léna's first runs. It's a very simple thing, but when she managed to make her first rankings, we were all very moved."

Léna Yeah, it was so cute. As for the French championships, the moment that really stood out for me was when you stood on the podium and I got to go with you. It was a truly magical moment. We spend all our time with horses and when there are achievements like that, we're happy. I was like Dan, in my head I'd also finished third in the championship. And when I was doing my first amateur shows, he was as stressed as I was, even though he shows all the time. So we're really there for each other."

9 - How have you managed to balance your love and professional lives while pursuing your sporting and personal goals?

Léna You should know that I have a very busy schedule. I'm doing a Master 1 sandwich course and creating content for social networks. Balancing my love life, continuing to pursue my sporting goals with Gracieuse and my professional goals with the networks is a question oforganization.

We very rarely have days where we do nothing, it's never happened to me in the eight months we've been together. We regularly get up at 6:00, 6:30 or even 7:00 when we're lucky, and finish our days around 10:00 or 11:00. When he's at school, I try to be there for the horses. I try to come a little earlier, do the stalls, help him a bit. And vice versa. It's a real give-and-take: he helps me, just as I help him."

Dan Yes, it wasn't easy at first. I had to realize that horses were really what I wanted to do, and that unfortunately you can't make too many concessions if you want to get there. But you soon got the hang of it and we're helping each other achieve our goals."

10: What advice would you give to couples who want to combine their personal and professional lives, particularly in the field of sport?

Léna Léna: "The advice I'd give to couples is communication. Because both Dan and I have very busy schedules, so we've had to make concessions. And I think you need love, you need a bit of passion.

What's really important is thatone person doesn't deprive themselves of doing something, or vice versa. You really have to keep doing what you love and be on the same wavelength with your partner. If I were with someone who didn't have the same vision of horses at all, it certainly wouldn't work."